The sky at night is magical, alluring and often bewildering—which is why this first section of this publication is all about helping you learn the basics. Starting with the stars themselves, we will explain how these points of light are categorized by astronomers, why they sometimes shimmer or twinkle and how to use the constellations as signposts to find your way around and locate the denizens of the deep sky: star clusters, nebulae and galaxies. We also introduce a way of looking at the stars as a sphere around us with the Earth at the center—a very useful approach for mapping the night sky and for keeping track of the heavens above. Once you have these fundamentals under your belt, you are guaranteed to get more out of stargazing. We’ve put together some practical advice on what you can do on your first night outside, top tips all beginners need to know and how to deal with light pollution. Pick up a copy and begin your Stargazing adventure.
UNDERSTANDING THE NIGHT SKY
STARS, CONSTELLATIONS AND ASTERISMS • Patterns in the skies have been observed and mythologized for centuries.
WHY THE STARS MOVE • The movement of Earth makes the stars appear to march across the sky.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE • Imaginary lines that span the sky make locating a star as easy as reading a map.
THE ECLIPTIC • The path of the sun, where you’ll find the rest of the solar system’s planets, is the second of two important lines that astronomers use to divide up the night sky.
FINDING THE PLANETS WITHOUT A MAP • It’s simpler than you think—all you need are your powers of deduction.
WHAT TO SEE: THE SOLAR SYSTEM
THE MOON • Our planet’s only natural satellite presents a wealth of interesting sights for all kinds of astronomers, and always has something new or interesting to show.
TOP 10 MOON SIGHTS • Our celestial neighbor has enough to keep astronomers busy for a lifetime, but here are 10 highlights to get you started.
THE SUN • It’s possible to see the wildly dynamic nature of our nearest star both in white light and hydrogen alpha*.
SOLAR AND LUNAR ECLIPSES • These eerily beautiful events involve alignments of the sun, Earth and the moon—and a piece of amazing cosmic good luck.
THE PLANETS • Our solar system neighbors are popular targets for astronomers.
NEAR AND FAR • What was happening here on Earth when light left some of the night sky’s most stunning sights? Stuart Atkinson investigates.
MONTH BY MONTH 2023–2024
JUNE • Discover attractive pairings of the Moon and planets in a month of short nights.
JULY • The Milky Way’s core shines bright, and three planets meet a thin crescent Moon.
AUGUST • A blue Moon, a standout meteor shower and the ringed planet Saturn at its brightest.
SEPTEMBER • Catch a Harvest supermoon as well as planets Jupiter and Saturn shining bright.
OCTOBER • An annular “ring of fire” solar eclipse crosses the US, while Jupter meets the Moon.
NOVEMBER • Jupiter is at its brightest and best for the year, and the Leonid meteors put on a show.
DECEMBER • Long nights promise winter’s best meteor shower and shimmering star clusters.
JANUARY • Catch Venus and Mercury close together, and get ready for the Quadrantid meteor shower.
FEBRUARY • See Comet PanSTARRS with binoculars, and one of the smallest full Moons of the year.
MARCH • View galaxies in Leo, the lion, star clusters in Cancer, the crab and a thin crescent Moon.
APRIL • A spectacular total solar eclipse is from Texas to Maine
MAY • A great month for viewing tightly packed globular clusters of stars
EXPLORE THE NIGHT SKY • BEGIN YOUR STARGAZING ADVENTURE
PHOTO CREDITS